Colts' Gm Keeps Making Turnovers

WARNER HESSLER

THANKS, JIM: New Atlanta Falcons Coach Jerry Glanville's regime got off to a good start Sunday, thanks to General Manager Jim Irsay of the Indianapolis Colts.

Baltimore fans hated Robert Irsay when he hustled the Colts out of town under a cover of darkness and a snowstorm in 1984. And Indy fans are finding a lot of reasons to hate his son.

Jim made perhaps the worst trade of the previous decade when he sent six picks in the first two rounds to the Los Angeles Rams for running back Eric Dickerson. Then he sent perennial Pro Bowl offensive lineman Chris Hinton, future Pro Bowl receiver Andre Rison, and a first-round pick next year to Atlanta to select quarterback Jeff George with the first pick.

Glanville, who took swift running back Steve Broussard later in the first round and linebacker Darion Conner early in the second, moved up at least one position in the 1990 standings. The Dolts may not be heard from until the next century.

HAIL DALLAS: The Jaybirds, Dallas owner Jerry Jones and Coach Jimmy Johnson, have come a long way since they rode into town and proclaimed they were going to take the NFL by storm.

After butchering the 1989 draft and compounding their mistakes by taking overrated quarterback Steve Walsh in the supplemental draft - thus surrendering the No. 1 selection in the 1990 draft - the Jaybirds are on a roll.

Jones put a muzzle over his mouth, Johnson began listening to top college scout Dick Mansperger, and the Cowboys have a new and improved look.

They signed 16 Plan B free agents, traded some of their 14 draft picks for players like running back Terrence Flagler of San Francisco, and made smart draft-day moves that allowed them to pick future stars like running back Emmitt Smith of Florida and swift receiver Alex Wright of Auburn in the first round.

You may begin hearing from Dallas before 1993.

BEST SINGLE PICKS: Some players in the lower rounds are going to become stars but, based on ability and the places they were drafted, the steals could be a pair of third-rounders.

If defensive tackle Mark Spindler (Detroit) avoids the knee injuries that slowed him the last two seasons, and if offensive lineman Mohammed Elewonibi's (Washington) left shoulder holds up, these guys will be regular visitors to the Pro Bowl.

WORST SINGLE PICKS: It's not his fault, but George is in a class by himself. Nothing about him suggests that he's worth Hinton, Rison, a No. 1 pick and $15 million over six years.

Safety Mark Carrier (Chicago) and defensive end Anthony Smith (Los Angeles Raiders) may become good players, but they were drafted too high. Carrier was the sixth player selected and Smith was the 11th. Most likely, both would have been available early in the second round.

BEST TEAM DRAFT: Even without counting the players they got for trading the first pick in the draft, the Falcons helped themselves the most.

Their first four picks, Broussard, Conner, defensive tackle Oliver Barnett and tight end Reggie Redding, all have the potential to make an impact this season. No other team can say that.

Throw in Hinton and Rison, and Atlanta wins hands down.

WORST TEAM DRAFT: The Colts. Hands down. Quarterback was not Indy's problem area, not with promising young Chris Chandler on the roster. If the Colts, as expected, force George into the lineup, he could become a basket case like former young hope Jack Trudeau.

Indy wasted its 36th selection overall in the second round on blocking fullback Anthony Johnson, and it got worse after that.

MOST SLEEPERS: It has to be the Washington Redskins, a team that didn't select until late in the second round and took players based on potential rather than college performance.

The two sleepers with the most potential to make it big are running back Clarence Mitchell (5th round) and defensive tackle Kent Wells (6th round).

Mitchell, a tremendous athlete, saw his stock drop because he played quarterback in college, and Wells is a wide-body type (6-3, 291) who is best suited for the Redskins' 4-3 defense.

Most NFL teams play the 3-4 and Wells lacks the speed to play end and the power to be a nose tackle. But he could thrive at left tackle in Washington's 4-3 alignment.